David GussmanSony Cyber-shot DSC-H10The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H10's unique features are overshadowed by poor flash image quality and iffy face detection. If you're in the market for a budget superzoom, better, lower-priced options are out there.

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H10's unique features are overshadowed by poor flash image quality and iffy face detection. If you're in the market for a budget superzoom, better, lower-priced options are out there.

As D-SLR prices continue to drop, we should see big changes in the superzoom segment of the digital camera market. Already, more and more compact, lower-priced models with up to 20X optical zoom lenses are hitting the shelves. At $299.99 direct, Sony's latest superzoom, the Cyber-shot DSC-H10, isn't terribly expensive, and with 10X optical zoom, eight different scene modes, and the ability to preview ISO settings on the 3-inch LCD, the H10 brings a lot to the table. The kid's table, that is; for despite its many features, the camera's poor flash image quality and subpar face detection place it behind the competition.

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The 8.1-megapixel H10 is the successor to Sony's Cyber-shot DSC-H3 and looks nearly identical. A pop-up flash sits atop the camera along with a mode dial that gives access to scene, automatic, and manual modes. At 11.4 ounces with a lithium ion battery and a memory card, it's light (but not small) for its class. A largely plastic body makes it feel less solidly constructed than, say, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18. And as far as budget superzooms go, the Editors' Choicewinning Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 can be had online for as little as $200; also, it's much lighter and smaller, so the H10 certainly has some competition there.

Despite the H10's larger size, the rubber grip on the right-hand side of the camera is a little small, and I had a tough time getting a comfortable grip at times. On the other hand, the control wheel and zoom buttons are well situated on the back of the camera for easy access with your right thumb. I did encounter a small problem with the lens cap. As on many D-SLRs, the lens cap is affixed by pushing in two tabs and securing it to the lens. If you forget to take it off before hitting the power button, the camera won't turn on properly. You first have to power it off, take off the lens cap, and then hit the power button again. This is a hassle, particularly when you're in a rush to capture a shot.

The H10 packs an f/3.5f/8.0 Carl Zeiss lens (35mm equivalent: 38mm380 mm); I would have preferred something closer to 28mm, like the Panasonic Lumix TZ3's wide-angle lens. The big 3-inch LCD screen is bright and clear, and I had little problem viewing it indoors or out. In direct sunlight I had a bit of trouble seeing images, especially at the maximum telephoto end. And although optical viewfinders are fairly standard on superzooms this size, the H10 lacks one to fall back on. Still, the LCD suffices, and Sony uses it to access some handy features. One that I haven't seen on many other cameras is an onscreen preview of ISO settings. When you're setting up a frame in manual mode, the display shows you how a shot will look at a particular ISO setting, so you can decide if jacking up the ISO to brighten things will cause too much noise. On my tests I found this to be very cool and useful. ISO settings reach as high as 3200, and I encountered moderate noise in low-light environments starting at about 800 ISO. Even when the setting was notched all the way up to ISO 3200, I saw a fair amount of noise, but it wasn't overwhelming and shots were passable.

With eight scene modes, including the usual landscape, twilight, and beach modes, the H10 adds a mode that I wish other manufacturers would include. Designed for (and marketed to) parents with athletic kids, the advanced sports-shooting mode is intended for use in environments with fast-moving objects. Using continuous autofocus, continuous image stabilization, and increased shutter speed, it can track fast-moving people or objects, and even predict movement. It should please soccer moms trying to catch the next Beckham in action; it worked well on my test shots of a peppy 2-year-old in full strideimages were blur-free.

Not all is well in the land of overall image quality, though. Face detection technology has improved vastly across the major camera vendors' offerings, and for the most part, Sony has it down fairly well. But for some reason, the H10 failed at face recognition. I tested the feature in several environments both indoors and out, in low and bright light, and, most of the time, the H10 had a very hard time picking up faces in the frame. Whether it was just one person in the frame or a whole group, I frequently had to get in very close to the subjects in order for the face detection to kick in. This is surprising, since I've seen other Sony models, such as the DSC-T2 and the DSC-T70 perform well in this area. (Note: We contacted Sony to inquire about this issue, and the company told us that our test unit was an early production model, but assured us that it was qualified for testing. We'll retest the face detection feature with a final model in the coming weeks. Check back for our results.)

In the lab, I encountered some other issues. While the pop-up flash was bright, many of my flash shots were overexposed. In some cases, this resulted in blown-out images that weren't usable. Daylight shots, on the other hand, were bright and vivid, although the H10 can't match the Lumix TZ3 in overall image quality. There was normal barrel distortion on the edge of the wide-angle shots, and a slight amount of fringing was visible. Other tests generated mediocre results. Boot-up and recycle times were rather sluggish at 3.5 and 3.3 seconds, respectively. The resolution test yielded 1,850 lines, which is average for an 8.1MP camera.

Video recording was clear, and image quality was adequate at 640 by 480 at 30 frames per second in fine mode. Battery life with the lithium ion rechargeable battery was good: I never had to recharge during testing. The H10 contains 31MB of internal memory and has slots for Memory Stick Duo, or Memory Stick PRO Duo media.

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H10 has some unique features that set it apart from the competition, such as on-screen previews of ISO settings and the advanced sports-shooting mode. But with poor flash shots, iffy face detection, and a price that's a bit high for what you get, this camera is likely to have a hard time finding its audience. If you're in the market for a budget superzoom, go for the Panasonic TZ3it outshines the H10 in nearly every way.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H10

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Bottom Line: The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H10's unique features are overshadowed by poor flash image quality and iffy face detection. If you're in the market for a budget superzoom, better, lower-priced options are out there.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H10

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H10

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